Searching the Internet for children’s fashion forums or blogs, one is bombarded with incomplete articles and many sales pitches. So, I decided to put together a little guide on how to get started in the online children’s fashion community. This way you can start being an active member instead of just a passive reader. This guide is written in a general way because I don’t want to promote any specific blog or forum. We all have different points of view, so it’s best if you find an online community on your own. Basically, their goal is to find online platforms that are committed to the children’s fashion scene. Online portals can be forums, blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook groups/pages, or other active websites. So the first question is: how do you find such an online portal?
Like most Internet users, you would probably do a Google search to find an online portal. When doing it with keywords like “children’s clothing blog” or “children’s fashion forum”, you will see that there are no results in Google that can satisfy you. There are a couple of forums, but most of them haven’t seen a new thread in months (sometimes even years) or are spammed with sales offers with no real content. Therefore, I suggest you get a Google Alert and Google Reader account first. Use these tools to automatically stay informed on topics related to specific keywords of interest to you. What you want to do is enter keywords like “children’s designer clothing” or “children’s designer clothing” in your alert and Google Reader will display all the content that is published related to these keywords. You should also use specific brands that interest you, like “Gant Kids,” for example. Keep reading Google Reader results on a regular basis and eventually you will find active online communities. You can then search for groups and pages on Facebook. I’m sure you’ll find one or two groups/pages there that you’ll like. Maybe not at first, but if you keep looking and stay active, you’ll eventually find them. Children’s fashion Facebook pages and groups don’t usually have a large community yet. But this also has its advantages: for example, it will be easier to get to know all the members. And lastly, you can still continue to use search engines like Google, Yahoo Search, etc. we have regular basis. Be sure to also visit some of the results pages further back because you may find a good article or forum post that will take you to another good online portal.
Once you have found an online portal that you like, you need to commit to that website. In most cases, this means that you will have to register as a user. I won’t go into the technical details of how to join an online community, because this is usually well explained on the specific website. Just look for a “Sign Up” or “Sign Up” button somewhere on the page and follow the instructions. If you are not used to this procedure, please take your time and read everything carefully. In most cases, once you have completed the registration process, you will have your own account to use the specific website.
However, having an account does not automatically make you an accepted member of an online community. The best way to start is by providing as much information about yourself as you feel comfortable with. This is important because once you start writing online with other members, they will visit your profile to find out who you are. The more information they can get about you, the more “real” you become to them. Therefore, you become more of a human being than an anonymous writer. In this way, you will be accepted much faster in an online community. To do this, find something called “Profile” or “About Me” and fill in as much information about yourself as you can, and that you’re comfortable with, of course. As a next step, I suggest introducing yourself to the community by writing a short post about yourself. There is usually a designated section where people can introduce themselves. Make use of that! The next step would be to read what others are writing and post a constructive response or opinion on that topic. Once you have an idea of the community and its members, you can start leading your own discussions.
In case you’re absolutely new to online communities, I want to give you some important ground rules before you start posting your own comments. First of all, you should always be kind and helpful. Don’t insult anyone, even if they insulted you. Always remember that you joined the community to discuss children’s clothing, a topic you are passionate about, and not to discuss with others on a personal level. That said, it’s also important that you always stay on topic. Other members may get annoyed if you start contributing to a discussion with replies that have nothing to do with the topic being discussed. If you want to talk about something else, start a new discussion. And lastly, always respect other members’ opinions and don’t be offended if others have a different opinion.
If you follow this guide you will have no problem joining any community. Sticking to these points is even more important in the online children’s fashion community because it’s fairly new and small. Once you’ve joined a portal and started exchanging your thoughts with other members, I’m sure you’ll very quickly find friends that you’ll talk to on a regular basis. I wish you a lot of fun following my guide. I hope to meet you online one day, so we can talk about children’s clothing together!